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As a commentator on music and music critics, Bernard Shaw was experienced and knowledgeable, strongly opinionated, and, as in all his writing, unsurpassed for brilliance and wit. The reader will find that this commentary on the cycle of four Wagner operas known as The Ring... Read Full Overview

The famous playwright's enlightening and provocative criticism surveys the four Wagner operas known as The Ring. Shaw explores the works' philosophic and social ideology as well as Wagner's life, music drama versus grand opera, the role of the Leitmotif in unifying the cycle,... Read Full Overview

In this classic work, Shaw provides a detailed analysis of Wagner's Ring Cycle, offering insights into the music, characters, and themes of the epic operatic masterpiece. Shaw's commentary is incisive, witty, and accessible, making it an essential read for music lovers, opera... Read Full Overview

Hormis Pygmalion, dans sa version cinematographique My Fair Lady, l'oeuvre de Bernard Shaw est aujourd'hui presque completement inconnue du public francais. Parmi les melomanes, rares sont ceux qui ont lu le Parfait wagnerien ou qui en connaissent meme l'existence;... Read Full Overview

The Perfect Wagnerite: A Commentary on The Niblung's Ring is a book by George Bernard Shaw that offers a detailed analysis of Richard Wagner's four-part opera cycle, The Ring of the Nibelung. Shaw's commentary on the opera cycle is written in a conversational style and is meant... Read Full Overview

In reading through this German version of my book in the Manuscript of my friend Siegfried Trebitsch, I was struck by the inadequacy of the merely negative explanation given by me of the irrelevance of Night Falls On The Gods to the general philosophic scheme of The Ring. That... Read Full Overview

As a leading drama critic of his time, Shaw was uniquely qualified to write about the works of Richard Wagner. In this book, he provides a fascinating commentary on The Ring of the Niblungs, one of Wagner's most famous operas. Shaw's analysis is insightful, engaging, and highly... Read Full Overview